Breaking with his predecessors, Pope Leo XIV declined to pray at the Blue Mosque of Istanbul on Saturday as he continued his first international tour as the Bishop of Rome.

In a show of respect, Pope Leo removed his shoes and toured the 17th-century mosque in his white socks; however, unlike Pope Benedict and Pope Francis before him, the recently selected pontiff declined an invitation to pray at the Sultan Ahmed Mosque on the third day of his Apostolic Visit to Turkey, a former Christian epicentre now comprised of 99.8 per cent Muslims.

According to the AP, the Vatican had briefed the press to expect Leo to hold a “brief moment of silent prayer” at the Islamic place of worship known for its thousands of blue Iznik tiles. However, after being invited to pray by Imam Asgin Tunca in “Alla

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